Electric furnace.



No. 882,733. PATENTBD MAR. 24, 1908.

E. APPLEBY.

ELECTRIC FURNACE.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 26, 1906.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

MTWGSS 77 I PATENTED MAR.2 ,19'08.

E. APPLEBY.

ELECTRIC FURNACE. APPLICATION FILED MAR. 26, 1906.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

. 13 a2: 5 III w n I I MM o o 0 .I I! w N0. 882,733. I PATENTBD MAR. 24, 1908.

E. APPLEBY. ELECTRIC FURNACE.

APPLIGATION FILED MAR. 26. 1906- 3 Y0 1 Ml u 11 4 SHEETS-SHEET 3 PATENTED MAR. 24, 1908. E. APPLEBY.

ELECTRIC FURNACE.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 26, 1906.

4 SHEBTSSHEET 4.

UNITED srn rnsragrnnr OFFICE.

EDWIN AIILEBY, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

ELECTRIC FURNACE.

Application filed March 26, 1906. Serial No. i308,040.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, EDWIN APPLEBY, a subject of the King of Great Britain, and a resident of Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Im rovements in Electric Furnaces, of which t 1e following is a specification.

This invention relates to electric furnaces and particularly to a type of electric furnace which is adapted for the manufacture of calcium carbid and in which the constituents of the carbid' are fused in a zone of intense heat produced by means of an electric arc, and in which new material is continuously fed to the zone of activity while the completed carbid is being continuously withdrawn therefrom.

The main ob ects of this invention are to provide improved mechanism for gradually withdrawing from the zone of activity the completed carbid, to provide means for disconnecting the said furnace and mechanism when all of the contents of the furnace have been transformed by means of the electric arc, and to provide improved mechanism for discharging the contents of the furnace.

I accomplish these objects by the device shown in the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a front elevation of an electric ,furnace constructed according to my invention. Fig. 2 is an elevation of the same viewed from the side which is at the right in Fig. 1, the car being partly in section. Fig. 3 is a vertical section of the same on the line 3-3 of- Fig. 2,. Fig. 4 is a front elevation, partly broken away, showing the car drawn toward one side with the carbid receptacle in position for discharging its contents, the

dotted lines indicating said receptacle in its inverted position. Fig. 5 is a detail, in section and partly broken away, of the strut for lifting the carbid' receptacle and a portion of the mechanism for operatin the same.

The furnace shown in the drawing consists of. a crucible formed of two vertically dis osed cylindrical receptacles telescoping wit each other, the upper'receptacle being open at the bottom. pair of electrodes extend into the crucible at the lower end of the upper receptacle and said receptacle serves as a hop or for delivering the material to the zone 0 activity between said electrodes. The lower receptacle is open at the top and closed at the bottom and forms a Specification of Letters Patent.

consists of a vertical y Patented March 24, 1908.

container for the completed carbid. The lower receptacle is adapted to be withdrawn downwardly away from the electrodes and the upper receptacle and is also adapted to be disconnected from its lifting mechanism,

to be withdrawn toward one side and then tilted for discharging its contents.

In the construction shown in the drawings, the supporting frame consists of a plurality of uprights 6 having a platform 7 at their upper end. The hopper or up er receptacle 8 is rigidly mounted u on the p atform 7 and disposed metal cylinder having a lining 9 of refractory material. The lining 9 is preferably thicker at the lower end of the receptacle 8 so as to form a hopperlike interior having a contracted opening 10 at its lower end. A pair of electro mounted in the supporting frame immediately below the bottom of the hopper 8 and'are adjustable toward and away from es 11 are each other, but are otherwise secured in fixed relation to the throat10 of the hopper.

The electrodes 11 are insulated from each other and are connected electrically with a source of power not shown in the drawings. The lower receptacle 12 is also cylindrical in form and is closed at the bottom. The receptacle 12 is formed of metal and is lined with refractory material similarly to the receptacle 8. The side walls of the receptacle 12 extend around and telescope with those of the receptaoleS. The side walls of the rece tacle 12 are slotted at 13 to fit around t e electrodes 11. The slots 13 areclosed by plates 14, which are rigidly mounted in the frame and have extensions 15 bolted to their lower ends. The receptacle 12 rests upon a plate 16 which is in turn supported by a vertically disposed threaded strut 17. The receptacle 12 1s provided with guides 18 which have slidable contact with the plates 14 and 15 and insure a close contact between said plates and the walls of the rece tacle 10.

T e operating mechanism for raising and lowering the receptacle 12 is located directly below said receptacle. tically slidable in the bearings 19 and 20 and is supported upon the bearing 20 by means of a nut 21 which has threaded engagement with the strut 17. The bearing 19 is provided with a feather 22, Fig. 5, which fits a longitudinal key-way 26 in the strut 17 and thereby secures said strut against rotation.

The nut 21 has rigidly secured thereto a The strut 1.7 is ver-.

' the heating effect of the electric are worm wheel 23 which meshes with a worm 24 which in turn is operated by means of a worm wheel 25 and worm 26, power being applied at the worm shaft 27. A pair of horizontally disposed tracks 28 are mounted in the frame above the operating mechanism and extend toward one side thereof. These tracks support a car 29 which is movable along the tracks from a position directly below the rece tacle 12 to a position at one side thereof. The car 29 is provided with a pair of Y-bearings 30 which open upwardly and are adapted to receive the trunnions 31, when the receptacle 12 is lowered. trunnions are rigildy secured in alinement with each other and at o posite sides of the receptacle 12 by means of castings 32.

T e mechanism for rotatin the receptacle 12 on its trunnions consists o a worm wheel 33 which is rigidly mounted on-one of the trunnions and meshes with a worm 34, when the trunnions are resting in the Ys 30.

Power is applied to this mechanism by the worm shaft 35.

The extensions 15 are bolted to the plates 14 and may be disconnected therefrom when the receptacle 12 is in its lowered position. The car 29 may then be drawn toward one side along the tracks 28 so that the contents of the rece tacle 12 may be discharged at a point whicli is clear of the operating mechanism.

The 0 eration of the device shown is as follows: T e materials which are to be fused, as for instance in the case of the manufacture of calcium carbid, powdered coke and lime, are placed into the hopper 8 and fiow through the throat 10 of the hopper, filling the unoccupied part of the interior of the receptacle 12 below the receptacle 8. An electric current is then passed through the electrodes and forms an electric are between the opposed ends thereof, heating the surrounding particles of matter. This heating is continued until all or practically all of the coke and lime which has entered the receptacle 12 has become fused and has been ex osed to or a certain predetermined interval of time. The lowering mechanism is then ut into 0 eration and causes the receptac e 12 to s owly descend. As the receptacle 12 descends, the materials in the hopper 8 flow into the receptacle 12. The'lowering of the receptacle 12 is gradual. The speed of such descent is determined by experiment and when once determined is the same whenever the same materials are being operated upon. When the receptacle 12 has been lowered so that its upper end has reached the level of the electrodes, the electric current is shut off but the operation of the lowering mechanism is continued until the upper end of the rece tacle 12 has assed down and is clear of t e electrodes. Vhen said upper end has reached These a point near the junction of the plates 14 and 15, the plates 15 are disconnected from the lates 14 and the lowering is continued.

he trunnions of the rece tacle 12 then come to rest in the Ys 30, and the continued ac tion of the lowering mechanism Withdraws the strut 17 and thecup below that of the car. he car 29 is then ushed along the tracks and finally inverted y operating the dumping mechanism to dischar e its contents. After the receptacle 12 has 'scharged its contents, it is again righted and returned to a osition of alinement with the hopper 8. T e then caused to move in a reverse direction until the parts return to the position shown in Figs. 1, 2, and 3, the plates 15 being again bolted to the'plates 14 while thereceptacle 12 is being raised. Fresh materials are now loaded into the hopper 8 and the operation of the device is repeated.

What I claim as my invention and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. In an electric furnace, the combination of a frame, a vertically disposed receptacle mounted in said frame, a pair of electrodes extending into said rece tacle, means for withdrawing said receptac e downwardly in said frame and awa horizontally dispose trunnions onsaid receptacle, and bearings mounted in said frame and adapted to engage said trunnions for suporting said receptacle when the same has een lowered to a certain position below said electrodes, said receptacle being ada ted to be tilted on said trunnions for disc arging its contents.

2. In an electric furnace, the combination of a frame, a vertically disposed receptacle mounted in said frame, a pair of electrodes extending into the lower part of said receptacle, a strut supporting said receptacle and adapted to gra ually lower the same away from said electrodes, a pair of horizontally disposed trunnions on said receptacle, a pan of bearings mounted in said frame and adapted to engage said trunnions for supporting the receptacle when the same had been lowered to a certain position, said strut being adapted to be removed from engagement with said receptacle to permit the receptacle to be tilted on its trunnions for discharging its contents.

3. In an electric furnace, the combination of a frame, a vertically disposed receptacle mounted in said frame, a pair of electrodes extending into the lower part of said receptacle, a strut su porting said receptacle and adapted to gra ually lower the same away from said electrodes, a air of horizontally disposed trunnions on sald receptacle,,a 58.11 of Y-bearings 0 en upward and locate in the path of sai. trunnions and adapted to engage said trunnions for supporting said re-' ceptacle when the same has been lowered,

late 16 to a level lowering mechanism is e from said electrodes,

'mounted in said frame, a pair of electrodes mounted in said frame and extending into the lower part of said receptacle, said receptacle having a bottom movable downwardly away from said electrodes, the walls of said receptacle being of suitable construction to permit a considerable range of vertical movement of said'bottom without breaking the continuity of said walls, tracks for supporting said receptacle, said receptacle being ada ted to be moved toward one side on sai tracks when said bottom has reached a certain lowered position, and means for discharging the contents of said receptacle.

5. In an electric furnace, the combination of a frame, a vertically disposed receptacle mounted in said frame, a pair of electrodes extending into said receptacle, a strut supporting said receptacle and adapted to graduall ower the same away from said electro es, a car ada ted to su port said receptacle when it is owered cl ar of said electrodes, tracks for su porting said car,- and mechanisnf below said tracks for raising and lowering said strut, said strut being adaptedthrough the continued operation of said mechanism to be withdrawn from engagement with said receptacle after the receptacle has been lowered 'u on the car, all being arran ed to permit t e receptacle to be moved a on the tracks. away from said mechanism or discharging its contents.

6. In an electric furnace, the combination of a vertically disposed receptacle open at the-bottom, a second receptacle below the first and havingside walls forming a continuation of those of the first, said second receptacle having a bottom adapted to be raised and lowered with respect to said first receptacle without breaking the continuity of the side walls, a pair of electrodes extendnear the lower end of said first receptacle, mechanism for gradually moving said bottom downwardly, a car adapted to support said second receptacle ing into the furnace when said bottom is in its lowered position,

said mechanism being adapted to be disconnected from said bottom to permit said second receptacle to be moved toward one side when the bottom is in its lowered position.

7. In an electric furnace, the combination of a vertically disposed receptacle open at the bottom, a second receptacle having side walls arranged to form a continuation of the walls ofsaid first recep'tacle, said second receptacle having a bottom movable toward and away from the lower end of said first receptacle, said bottom being movable a considerable distance without breaking the continuity of the walls of said receptacles, trunnions on said second receptacle, a car having thereon bearings adapted to engage said trunnions for supporting said second receptacle when said bottom is in its lowered position, mechanism for raising and lowering said bottom, said mechanism being adapted to be disconnected from said second receptacle when the bottom is in its lowered position to permit said carand second receptacle'to be drawn toward one side, ceptacle being adapted to be rotated on its trunnions for discharging its contents.

8. In an electric furnace, the combination of a frame, a vertically disposed receptacle mounted in said frame and open at the 'bottom, a second receptacle open at the top and telescoping with the first, a air of electrodes mounted in said frame an extending into the furnace near -the lower end of the first receptacle, a strut supporting the second receptacle, mechanism for moving said strut verticall in ,said frame, a car movably mounted in said frame and adapted to support said second receptacle when in its lowered position, and said strut being adapted to be withdrawn from engagement with said second receptacle to permit the same to be drawn toward one side when supported by said car.

9. In an electric furnace, the combination of a frame, a vertically disposed receptacle mounted in said frame and open at the bot tom, a second receptacle open at the top and telescoping with the first, a pair of electrodes mounted in said frame and extending into the furnace near the lower end of said first receptacle, a strut supporting said second receptacle, mechanism for moving said strut vertically in said frame, trunnions on said second receptacle, a car having thereon bearings adapted to engage said trunnions and support said second receptacle when in its lowered osition, said strut being adapted to be wit drawn from engagement with said second receptacle when in its lowered posi tion, said car being adapted to convey said second receptacle toward one side, and said receptacle being adapted to be tilted on said trunnions for discharging its contents.

10. In an electric furnace, the combination of a frame, a vertically disposed receptacle mounted in said frame and having a separable bottom, a pair of electrodes mounted in said frame and extending into the lower part of said receptacle, means for gradually lowering said bottom during the operationof said electrodes, tracks for supporting said bottom, said bottom being adapted to be moved toward one side on said tracks when said bottom has reached a certain lowered position, and means for discharging the contents of said receptacle.

and-said second ref tom of said receptacle has reached a certain l lowered position, and means for emptying l said receptacle when it has reached said lowcred position.

1 igned at Chicago this 16th day of March EDWIN APPLEBY.

Witnesses:

E. A. RUMMLER, L. A. SMITH. 

